Author: Shelly W

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Ft Mac

Fort MacMurray Man to Appear in Court for Pedestrian Collision

Fort MacMurray, pedestrian collision
Fort MacMurray, pedestrian collision

A 32 year old Fort MacMurray man is being summoned to court over a pedestrian collision that occurred in August. Thew court appearance is so that the ticket received by the driver can go to trial. On August 11, 2014, at the crosswalk of Rainbow Creek Drive and Paquette Drive, two women were pushing a stroller that contained a child through the crosswalk. A Ford F150 pickup truck plowed into the intersection and struck the women and child who were in the crosswalk. The driver of the vehicle was charged for Failing to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk on 2 different counts, and this is usually just a ticket. The RCMP decided to issue the ticket through an appearance notice, which means that a court date is needed before the ticket can be resolved.

The August 11, 2014 pedestrian collision in Fort MacMurray sent one of the adults and the infant in the stroller to the local Emergency Room, and both were hospitalized until the last part of August. The police have not named the driver of the truck because he has not made a court appearance yet, but the man is due to be in court on November 13, 2014. Failing to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk can mean a $575 fine and also a total of four demerit points against the license of the driver. According to RCMP Cpl. George Cameron an appearance ticket was issued because “The members thought that through the investigation, maybe the court should hear what happened, what took place. We need to get this information out there about how dangerous it can be.”

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Economic Ft Mac

Temporary Foreign Workers Earn Less in Wood Buffalo, Leading to Complaints

Wood Buffalo, temporary foreign workers
Wood Buffalo, temporary foreign workers

In Wood Buffalo temporary foreign workers are being paid less than Canadian workers by construction companies, and some of the TFWs are working in the Athabasca oilsands. The Alberta Federation of Labour has received documentation that hundreds of companies in Wood Buffalo and Alberta are being allowed to pay TFWs far below what Canadian workers would receive for the same positions, titles, and work duties. AFL president Gil McGowan released a statement explaining “In June, the federal government introduced changes that will make it harder for low-wage employers to get access to TFWs. What these documents show is that the problem is not solved; it’s just moving up the wage ladder.” Many Canadian workers believe that companies are hiring temporary foreign workers in order to cut costs when there are Canadian workers who are just as qualified but who would require a higher wage.

The temporary foreign workers in Wood Buffalo are often paid quite a bit less than Canadian workers with the same skill sand qualifications. The construction industry is not the only industry with high numbers of temporary foreign workers in Wood Buffalo, fast food businesses and other industries also tend to have larger numbers of TFWs. Some Canadian workers feel that these numbers are unfair, and that companies prefer TFWs over citizens because they can pay lower wages and fewer benefits. The Canadian government is monitoring the situation and changes may be made to current laws and legislation in order to provide a level playing field for Canadian workers.

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Ft Mac

Fatal Crash on Highway 63 Claims Life of 52 Year Old Man

highway 63, fatal crash
highway 63, fatal crash

A fatal crash on highway 63 has claimed the life of a 52 year old man Monday morning. The crash happened north of Fort MacMurray and only involved a single vehicle. Local police were alerted at 4:29 am that a single vehicle crash occurred close to the Borealis Camp. The vehicle was in a ditch and it had rolled over at least once. So far no witnesses have come forward and police believe that no one saw the fatal crash occur. Right now drugs or alcohol are not suspected to be involved, but it is possible that distracted driving caused the vehicle to leave the roadway and enter the ditch. The 52 year old driver was not wearing a seat belt, and he was still in the vehicle when local police arrived on the scene.

RCMP Cst. George Cameron discussed the fatal crash on highway 63 with journalists. According to Cameron “In something like this, it’s hard to determine the exact cause, especially if there is no witnesses. I’m not saying it’s the case in this specific crash, but could have some sort of distracted driving been involved? It’s possible. We talk all the time about, don’t talk on your cellphone, don’t look down and turn your radio on (and) fatigue certainly is something that’s just as dangerous. The other rollover crashes similar to this that I’ve investigated myself in the past appear to have been something along the lines of, if someone was asleep and they’re distracted and they start to leave the roadway… and they overcorrect, they turn back, a lot of the time that seems to be the cause of that.”

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Ft Mac Health

Could the Ebola Virus Come to Fort MacMurray?

Ebola virus, Fort MacMurray
Ebola virus, Fort MacMurray

With the Ebola virus constantly on the news, and the fact that a man in the USA was recently diagnosed with this often deadly disease, could Ebola come to Fort MacMurray? This virus may be considered one of the scariest because of the symptoms experienced and the sometimes very high mortality rate. Until recently the virus has been restricted to certain parts of the world and North America has not had reason to worry. That has changed some today. In the USA there has been a confirmed case of Ebola in Texas, and the patient reported to the local Emergency Room with viral symptoms. Even after the patient explained that he had arrived on US soil recently from Liberia, and with the symptoms identified, the patient was released and sent home. 6 days later the patient required an ambulance because his condition worsened, and it was at this point that the Ebola virus was identified.

The risk of Ebola infection to Fort MacMurray resident and Wood Buffalo areas is small according to Dr. Gregory Taylor, who is the chief public health officer for Canada. “The risk to Canadians remains very low.” Border agents on the Canadian border have been well trained, and these agents are questioning all new arrivals in the country who come from West Africa. Any travelers who report feeling ill or who show any signs of Ebola are quarantined immediately. In addition the Canadian government has a supply of the medications needed if any travelers do test positive for the Ebola virus.

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Ft Mac

Fort MacMurray Recognizes Mental Health Awareness Week

Fort MacMurray, mental health
Fort MacMurray, mental health

Mental health awareness week will be recognized in Fort MacMurray from Sunday, October 5, 2014 through October 11, 2014. The Canadian Mental Health Association will sponsor events and hope to raise awareness of mental health issues in the Fort MacMurray area. This will be the 22nd Mental Health Awareness Week, and the events are held on a yearly basis. The goal is to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues, and to make communities aware of mental health resources that are available. Educating people on mental illness and teaching individuals what they can do to help someone with these problems is essential to ensuring that everyone who needs mental health help receives it. It is time that mental illness receives the same attention and resources that other medical conditions do, without the stigma often associated with mental illness.

Emma Murray, who is the events coordinator for the Canadian Mental Health Association, was quoted as saying “It’s an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. Nearly one in five Canadians is affected by mental illness, but yet a persistent stigma prevents millions from getting the help they need. So one in five Canadians is affected by mental illness, (but) four in five can help.” The events in Fort MacMurray will start with a community walk on Sunday. According to Murray “(The walk) is about fighting the stigma and raising awareness by walking along Franklin Avenue, with signs, posters and balloons, and creating that awareness.”

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Ft Mac

RCMP Takes on Speeding and Other Traffic Violations

RCMP, traffic violations
RCMP, traffic violations

Last week the RCMP took on speeding and other traffic violations in the area, handing out numerous tickets. Speeding was one of the top traffic violations, with distracted driving coming in second. With the harsh winter months almost here the RCMP is trying to keep the roads safe, and that means handing out traffic violations when these are spotted by officers. A total of 32 tickets for speeding were handed out just in the Gregoire Lakes Estate area, and 12 traffic violations for speeding in a school zone were also given during the week. 17 people received traffic violations for distracted driving, and 4 people were arrested for driving while impaired. The remoteness of Fort MacMurray and Wood Buffalo make the number of RCMP traffic violations troubling. When the winter weather hits the roadways will become risky due to ice and snow, and even being distracted for a few seconds or going a few miles over the speed limit will be dangerous.

Some of the RCMP arrests and traffic violations cited were somewhat unusual according to RCMP Cst. George Cameron. “This past Saturday morning around 8:00, members did a traffic stop and they got an impaired driver. They got another… impaired driver at 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday. Those are unusual, we don’t like to see those things, but I’m glad our members were there to get these people off the road.” Usually impaired driving occurs in the evening and night hours, so having two in a row during the day is troubling. This is the period when there are many more people on the roads, and the danger of an accident with another vehicle is much higher.